The Death of Christ
A Sermon on John 8:28
Originally preached July 3, 1960
Scripture
28Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Sermon Description
Every eye will see Him. Both believers and unbelievers will be brought before the judgement seat of God. In this sermon on John 8:28 titled “The Death of Christ,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones discusses the death of Christ and its implications for humanity. The Jews rejected Jesus and thought that Jesus’s death would be the end of the matter. However, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out, their execution of Jesus would neither be the end of Jesus nor the end of their relationship with Him. In fact, His death would lead to His ascension to the right hand of God and the empowerment of His followers through the sending of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, those who wanted to be rid of Jesus would come face to face with their rejected Messiah at judgement day. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also points out that the divine character of Jesus became more clear to many after Jesus’s death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones pleads that the listener would behold Christ now while there is still time, rather than waiting until judgement day when it will be too late. Every person will one day see Him as the true Messiah and divine King. That day will be of infinite joy to His church and of incomprehensible sorrow for the unbelieving world.
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus tells the Jews that they will kill him by crucifixion.
- Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man," referencing Daniel 7:13. This means Jesus is the Messiah, the deliverer.
- The Jews think Jesus' death will be the end of him and his claims. But Jesus says his death will prove who he is, the Son of God.
- Jesus' death released the power to forgive sins and give new life through the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This shows Jesus is the Messiah.
- The Jews think Jesus' death will end their relationship to him. But Jesus says they will see him seated at the right hand of God. His ascension and current reign show he is the Son of God.
- The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was punishment for rejecting Jesus as Messiah. His second coming will be an even greater punishment for those who reject him.
- Every person will see Jesus when he returns. For those who believe, it will be glorious. For those who don't believe, it will be terrifying.
- We must come to Jesus now to be ready for his return. We can die in our sins or die in the Lord. We can see Jesus in terror or in joy. The choice is ours.
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.